An example of a conventional card connector is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-37947. The disclosed card connector includes an ejector mechanism for ejecting a card. The ejector mechanism has an ejection member pivotably located within a housing such that it will eject the card from a card-receiving recess, and a lever member for applying an action force thereto. Part of a lateral edge of the ejection member engages part of an inner surface of the housing that constitutes an ejection member holding space, thereby constituting a pivot fulcrum of the ejection member. The pivot range of the ejection member is defined by the shape of the holding space. Specifically, part of the housing constitutes a stop means for stopping the pivoting of the ejection member.
However, the card connector disclosed in the above publication has two drawbacks. The first is that because the stop means for stopping the pivoting of the ejection member is integrally provided by the housing of an electrical connector, there is no flexibility involved in mounting the ejection member to the housing, thereby making the operation more difficult. The second drawback is that because the stop means is located at a position near the pivot fulcrum and away from the action component of the force for pivoting the ejection member, a large moment of force is applied to the housing in the course of stopping the ejection member; and, as a result, the housing has to have relatively thick walls so that it can stop the ejection member against such force, so the connector housing ends up being relatively large.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a compact card connector that is equipped with an efficient stop means for an ejection member and that affords easy mounting of the ejection member to a housing, which serves as a card-ejecting means.